An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
